Inflating valve for catheters



- Feb. 17, 1970 v y R. E. SWANSON INFLATING VALVE FOR CATHETERS FiledNov. 22, 1966 AWI' pill/fill, 71"3 mlil,

INVENTOR. REINOLD E. SWANSON l BY 2 aw 7746M.

ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,495,594 INFLATING VALVE FOR CATHETERSReinold E. Swanson, Rehoboth, Mass., assignor, by mesne assignments, toDave] Inc., a corporation of Delaware Filed Nov. 22, 1966, Ser. No.596,196 Int. Cl. A61m 25/00; B65b l /04; F16k 31/20 US. Cl. 128349 7Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The present invention relatesgenerally to the surgical art, and is more particularly concerned withthe provision of a novel and improved inflating valve for catheters andthe like. More specifically, this invention is concerned with theprovision of an inflating valve that is secured to the device that is tobe inflated, such as a catheter or the like, so as to form an integratedpart thereof. This valve is designed for use with inflating needleswherein, when it is desired to inflate a catheter or the like having thevalve of the instant invention associated therewith, the valve may bepunctured by the inflating needle so as to permit introduction of theinflating fluid. Upon removal of the needle, however, the valve isself-sealing so as to maintain the catheter or similar device in itsinflated state.

This invention is in many respects somewhat similar to the inventiondisclosed in my copending application Ser. No. 444,867, filed Apr. 1,1965. The valve disclosed in my copending case, however, is primarilydesigned for use with an inflating syringe not comprising a needle. Theinstant valve, on the other hand, is specifically designed for use withan inflating needle.

The conventional technique for inflating the sac or balloon of acatheter or any other similar inflatable device is to introduce aninflating syringe to the proximal end of the inflating lumen that is incommunication With the balloon or sac to be distended. By use of thesyringe, air or other fluid is forced through the inflating lumen untilthe sac or balloon is inflated. Once the sac has been inflated, thesyringe is removed, and it is then necessary to provide means formaintaining the sac inflated. This has been done by a variety of ways,such as by providing a physical clamp that pinches the inflating lumenso as to block the flow of fluid therethrough, thus maintaining the sacin its inflated state. This technique has sometimes proven undesirablesince it first of all is necessary that such a clamp be available, whichis not always the case, and, secondly, it is sometimes difiicult toapply the clamp without losing some of the pressure from the inflatedsac. Even when the inflating lumen is properly clamped, there is alwaysthe danger that the clamp is not a completely secure one and that thesac will slowly deflate. Since the sac, during catheterization, isinside the patient, it is not possible to visually ascertain that thesac is slowly deflating and thus creating a highly undesirablesituation.

Another technique frequently used in this art is to block the proximalend of the inflating lumen with a resilient plug which must then hepunctured by a hypodermic needle provided on the syringe, the plug beingself-sealing when the needle and syringe are withdrawn. This techniquehas the disadvantage that there is always the danger that when theneedle is inserted, the operator may inadvertently puncture the wall ofthe inflating lumen and/ or his own fingers.

It is therefore a primary object of the instant invention to provide avalve adapted to be integrated with an inflating tube, such as theinflating lumen of a catheter, said valve being adapted to be puncturedby an inflating 3,495,594 Patented Feb. 17, 1970 needle, but beingself-sealing after the needle has been withdrawn.

Another important object of this invention is the provision of a valveof the character above described wherein means are provided forrendering it virtually impossible for the operator to either puncturethe wall of the inflating tube and/or his fingers when the inflatingneedle is inserted into the valve.

A further object is the provision of novel and improved means forintegrating a self-sealing valve with the proximal end of an inflatinglumen of the type normally found in catheters and the like.

Another object is the provision of a self-sealing valve of the characterdescribed which may be easily and effectively integrated with theproximal end of the inflating lumen of catheters and the like, andwhich, although economically feasible to manufacture and assemble, isnevertheless highly effective and durable in use.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will becomeapparent as the description thereof proceeds when considered inconnection with the accompanying illustrative drawings.

In the drawings which illustrate the best mode presently contemplatedfor carrying out the present invention:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a catheter having a self-sealingvalve integrated therewith in accordance with the instant invention;

FIG. 2 is an elevational section, on an enlarged scale, taken throughthe valve per se, and showing the valve with an inflating needleinserted therein;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 after the inflating needle has beenwithdrawn; and

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the separate elements thatmake up the instant valve, with portions broken away and shown insection for purposes of illustration.

Referring to the drawings, and more particularly to FIG. 1 thereof,there is shown generally at 10 a conventional catheter having aself-sealing valve constructed in accordance with the instant inventionand shown generally at 12. As stated, the catheter 10 is of completelyconventional construction and comprises an elongated flexible shaft 14of any suitable material, such as rub ber or plastic, having a drainageeye 16 located adjacent the distal end 18 of the catheter. A drainagelumen 20 extends longitudinally through the catheter shaft andcommunicates with the eye 16. Drainage lumen 20 is provided with anenlarged proximal portion 22 which in use is adapted to interconnectwith a suitable drainage tube (not shown), as is well known in the art.The shaft 14 further comprises an inflating lumen 24 which also extendslongitudinally through the catheter shaft in side-by-side relation withdrainage lumen 20. The inflating lumen 24 terminates at its distal endin an opening 26 formed in the catheter wall, said opening permittingcommunication between the inflating lumen and an inflatable sac 28secured to the exterior of the catheter, adjacent the distal endthereof, but spaced proximally from the eye 16. At its proximal end,inflating lumen 24 separates from the catheter shaft 14 as at 30 tofacilitate the introduction of pressurized fluid to the inflating lumen.It will be obvious that the introduction of pressurized fluid into andthrough inflating lumen 24 will cause the sac 28to distend until the sacbecomes inflated. It will be understood that when a patient iscatheterized, the sac 28 is inflated for retention and/or pressurepurposes.

The valve 12, which is secured to the proximal end of inflating lumen24, comprises three separate parts, i.e., a housing 32, a resilient plug34, and a retaining member 36. The housing 32 and the retaining member36 may be made of any suitable nontoxic material, although in accordancewith the instant invention it 'is'preferred to injection mold each ofthese parts, using a material such as Delrin. The plug 34 is made of aresilient, self-sealing material, such asgum rubber. v

Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 3, it will be seen that the housing 32 isof cylindrical configuration and has a bore 38 extending longitudinallytherethrough. The cylindrical wall 40 of housing 32, which defines thebore 38, has at its upper or entrance end an inwardly extending flange42 terminating in an inwardly extending peripheral lip 44. The.peripheral lip 44 defies a reduced bore portion 46, and at the same timecoperates with the inner surface 48 of wall 40 to define an annularspace 50.

I The resilient plug 34 is also of generally cylindrical configurationand has a bore 52 extending longitudinally therethrough, said bore beingclosed at its upper end by solid portion 54 of plug 34. Extendingaxially from the marginal edge .of solid portion 54 is a peripheralskirt 56, it being noted that when the plug 34 is assembled in bore 38,the peripheral skirt 56 extends into annular space 50 so as to effect asnug interengagement between plug 34 and housing 32. Preferably, skirt56 and lip 44 have complementary beveled surfaces 58 and 50,respectively, in order to enhance the seal made between these parts.

Adjacent the exit end of bore 38, there is provided an integral,inwardly extending annular rib 62, said rib being designed tosnap-receive retaining member 36. More specifically, it will be notedthat retaining member 36 comprises a generally cylindrical body 64having a bore 66 extending therethrough. As will be noted more clearlyin FIG. 3, bore 66, bore 52 and bore 46 are all of substantially thesame diameter. An annular groove 68 extends circumferentially around theouter surface of body 64, said grove being adapted to interengage withrib 62 in order to secure retaining member 34 within housing 32 adjacentthe exit end thereof. As hereinbefore stated, the housing 32 and theretaining member 36 are both preferably constructed of a plasticmaterial, and even though the plastic material is preferably arelatively hard and rigid one, these members still have suflicientflexibility to enable the retaining member 36 to be forced into bore 38until groove 68 and rib 62 interengage. When the retaining member 36 issecured within housing 32, it maintains plug 34 compressed againstflange 42 and lip 44 so that solid portion 54 functions to tightly sealoff bore 46. Expressed differently, the distance between end surface 70and bottom edge 72 of plug 34 is normally longer than the distancebetween the upper edge of retaining member 36 and the botton edge of lip44, thus insuring that the plug 34 is under compression when mounted inhousing 32.

It will be understood that in order to assemble housing 32, plug 34, andretaining member 36, it is simply necessary to slide the resilient pluginto bore 38 so that the peripheral skirt 56 enters into the annularspace 50, and then retaining member 36 is snapped into position tomaintain the parts assembled. Once these members have been so assembled,the valve 12 is ready for securement to the catheter 10. This securementis accomplished by sliding the proximal end portion 30 of lumen 24 intoan annular channel 74 provided in wall 40 of housing 32 for thatpurpose. As soon as the proximal end of the inflating lumen has beenslid into channel 74, as clearly illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, it may bemaintained therein by any suitable means, although in accordance withthe instant invention it is preferred to effect this integration ofthese parts by crimping the beveled edge 76 of housing 32 inwardly as at78 was to securely grip or clamp the tubular wall of the lumen betweenthe inner and outer walls of channel 74. Beveled edge 76 facilitatesthis crimping operation since it provides a relatively sharp edge thatwill bite into and bet-" ter grip the lumen wall. I

In operation and use, and with valve 12 secured to lumen 24 as abovedescribed, an inflating needle 80 is forced through solid portion 54 ofplug 34, as illustrated in FIG. 2, whereupon pressurized fluid may beintroduced via the needle 80 through lumen 24 to sac 28 in order toinflate the latter. When the sac 28 is properly inflated, the needle 80is withdrawn, whereupon the resilience of solid portion 54 self-sealsthe puncture 82 previously made byneedle 80'. In order to enable bettercentering of needle 80 when it is brought into engagement with plug 34,there may be, provided on the upper surface 70 a central depression '84.It will be understood that, due to the fact that resilient plug 34 issurrounded for its entire length by the relatively hard and rigidhousing 32, it is not possible for needle 80, when. it is forced throughsolid portion 54, to inadvertently puncture the lumen wall and/or thefinger of the operator. Expressed differently, housing 32 acts as aprotective shield for that portion of the lumen wall that mightnormallybe inadvertently punctured by needle 80. This insuresmaintenance of the desired pressure-tight characteristics of catheter10. i i

While there is shown an described herein certain specific structuresembodying the invention, it will be manifest to those skilled in the artthat various modifications and rearrangements of the parts may be madewithout departing from the spirit and scope of the underlying inventiveconcept and that the same is not limited to the particular forms hereinshown and described except insofar as indicated by the scope of theappended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A self-sealing valve for use in the inflation of catheters and thelike by inflating needles, said valve comprising a housing having a boreextending therethrough, a plug constructed of resilient, self-sealingmaterial located in said bore, said plug normally blocking passage offluid flow through said bore but being penetratable by an inflatingneedle when it is desired to introduce fluid, said plug beingself-sealing upon removal of the needle, means in said housing atopposite ends of said plug preventing longitudinal movement of said plugin said how, said last-mentioned means comprising an inwardly extendingflange adjacent the entrance end of said bore defining a reduced boreportion,,and a retaining member secured within said bore at the oppositeend thereof, said retaining member bein spaced from said flange adistance less than the length of said plug, whereby said plug iscompressed against said flange, said flange having an inwardly dependingmarginal lip defining an annular space between said lip and the innersurface of said housing, said plughaving a peripheral skirt at itsclosed end interengaging within said annular space.

2. A self-sealing valve for use in the inflation of catheters and thelike by inflating needles, said valve comprising a housing having a boreextendingtherethrough, a plug constructed of resilient, self-sealingmaterial located in said bore, said plug normally blocking passageoffluid flow through said bore but being penetratable by an inflatingneedle when it is desired to introduce fluid, said plug beingself-sealing upon removal of the needle, means in said housing atopposite ends of saidplug preventinglongitudinal movement of said plugin said bore, said last-mentioned means comprising an inwardly extendingflange adjacent the entrance end of said bore defining a reduced boreportion,- and a retaining member secured within said bore at theopposite.end thereof, said retaining member being spaced from saidflange a distance less than the length of said plug, whereby said plugiscompressed against said flange, said plug comprising a. hollow cylinderclosed at one end, said closedend being .inengagement with'said flange,the bore of said plug having substantially the samedi ameter as that ofthe aforesaid reduced bore portion, said retaining member comprisingan-annular collar hav-' ing an opening therein of substantially the samediameter as that of the aforesaid reduced bore portion.

3. A self-sealing valve ior use in the inflation of catheters and thelike by inflating needles, said valve comprising a housing having a boreextending therethrough, a plug constructed of resilient, self-sealingmaterial located in said bore, said plug normally blocking passage offluid flow through said bore but being penetratable by an inflatingneedle when it is desired to introduce fluid, said plug beingself-sealing upon removal of the needle, means in said housing atopposite ends of said plug preventing longitudinal movement of said plugin said bore, said last-mentioned means comprising an inwardly extendingflange adjacent the entrance end of said bore defining a reduced boreportion, and a retaining member secured within said bore at the oppositeend thereof, said retaining member being spaced from said flange adistance less than the length of said plug, whereby said plug iscompressed against said flange, said housing being of cylindricalconfiguration, the cylindrical wall of said housing having an annularchannel therein open adjacent said opposite bore end.

4. In combination, a catheter having a tubular inflating lumen at theproximal end thereof, a self-sealing valve comprising a cylindricalhousing having a bore extending therethrough, inwardly extending meansdefining a reduced portion at the entrance end of said bore, a plugconstructed of resilient, self-sealing material located in said bore,means in said housing compressing said plug against said inwardlyextending means to normally block fluid flow through said bore but beingpenetratable by an inflating needle when it is desired to introducefluid to said catheter, said plug being self-sealing upon removal of theneedle, and means for securing said valve to said inflating lumen, saidsecuring means comprising an annular open-ended channel in thecylindrical wall of said housing, said channel open end being locatedadjacent the exit end of said bore, said channel slidably receiving thefree end of said inflating lumen therein, and means maintaining saidinflating lumen in said channel.

5. The combination of claim 4 further characterized in that saidlast-mentioned means comprise an inward deflection of the free edge ofthe outer wall defining said channel, whereby to clamp said inflatinglumen within said channel.

6. The combination of claim 4 further characterized in that said plug isa hollow cylinder closed at one end, said closed end being in engagementwith said inwardly extending means, the bore of said plug havingsubstantially the same diameter as that of said reduced bore portion.

7. The combination of claim 6 further characterized in that saidinwardly extending means comprises an inwardly extending flange at theentrance end of said bore; said flange having a marginal lip extendinginto said bore, said lip and inner surface of said housing defining anannular space, said plug having a peripheral skirt at its closed endinterengaging within said annular space.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,176,565 10/1939 Boynton137-525.1 X 2,295,804 9/1942 Olson 137223 X 3,138,161 6/1964 Allen128-348 3,385,301 5/1968 Harautuneian 137223 X FOREIGN PATENTS 57,5151/1953 France. 1,078,650 8/ 1967 Great Britain.

DALTON L. TRULUCK, Primary Examiner J. D. YASKO, Assistant Examiner US.Cl. X.R.

